The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-12-15
REPORT ON RAILROADS.

The First Annual Report of the SOnter-
state Commissioned Very Inter estfng
History of the Railroads of the County.
Tho first annual report of the Inter.
state Commerce Commission has lust
been made public. 1t fills 40 ages of
closely printed matter, in which the
Work OF the Commission since its origin,
the ELECTS of the new law upon trade
and transportation, and the faults and
detects are treated exhaustively. The
report opens with very interesting his
tory of roods in the United States. The
railroad mileage of the United States, it
IS shown, is 1886. The number of
corporations represented in this mileage
| Is ,425, but by tho consolidation or
leasing of roads, the number of corpora
tons controlling and operating roads as
carriers l. reduced to 700. 1t is believed
that 200 roads operated by about five
hundred corporations as carriers are
subject to the law. The Commission
has as yet no statistics of its own collec-
ton to lay before the public, but quoted
from manual generally accepted as re-
reliable, the cost of construction and
equipment of these roads which places
it at $7,254, 995, 223, and estimates the
funded debt of the companies at $3, ,8O2,-
966,330. Some idea, the Commission
say OF the magnitude of the interest
which the Act undertaken to regulate
may be obtained from these figures, but
they fail short of measuring, or even
| OF indicating its Importance. Comment
ing on the evils that have grown out OF
and abuses that have grown up with the
extension of railroads they say: It is
striking proof of the recklessness of COR
porate management, that 10S roads rep-
resenting a mileage Of II ,0G6 are now in
the hands of receivers managing them
under direction of courts whose atten
ton is thus necessarily withdrawn from
the moro appropriate ruling of judicial
bodies, nevertheless tho Commission
! feels justified in saying that the opera
ton of the Act has in general been
cilicicnt. In some particulars as we un-
derstand has also been the case with
similar statutes in some of the States it
has operated directly to increase rail-
road earnings, especially in the cutting
OH OF Tree passes on passengers
trains and putting an end to rebates,
drawbacks and special rates upon freight
business. Freight traffic for the year
has been exceptionally large in volume
and is believed to have been in no small
degree stimulated by growing conf
dence that the days of rebates and
special rates woro ended and that open
rates on an equal basis were now offered
to all. The reflex action of this deyel-
opmGnt of confidence among business
men las been highly favorable to the
roads.
The tendency of rates has been down.
ward, and they have set down perma-
ncnt advances except when excessive
competition had reduced them to
roint at which they could not well be
maintained, no destructive rate would
havc occurred, but increased stability in
rates las tended in tho direction of
stability in general business. There is,
however, great mischief resulting from
from frequent changes in freight rates
on tho part of some of the companies.
Changes that in some cases it is difficult
to sug8l st an excuse for. The report
closes with the following suggestions for
amendments to the new law: "Incident-
ally III this report some need of amend
mcnt bas been pointed out. Especially
ought the law, as we think, to Indicate
III plain terms whether the express bust
hess and all other transportation by the
carriers named i'll the Act shall be gov
crned by its provisions. The provision
against the sudden rising Of rates ought
" '0 Sl"'i y lu"io apPllchDlo 10 JOlnG
rates Us well as to others. The Commits
sion ought also to have the authority
and the means to bring about something
like uniformity in the method of pub
lishing rates which is now in great con-
fusion. and to carefully examine, collect
and supervise the schedules, contracts,
etc, required by the law to be filed, as
well as properly to handle the mass of
statistical information called for by the
twentieth section. For uIl these pur-
poses, rs we'll as for others improperly
provided for o considerable al iition to
the force employed with the Commission
will be Indispensable. Other matters,
and particularly whether transportation
by water shall be made subject to the
Act are submitted to the wisdom of Con-
gress without recommendation.